THE FINANCIER
rather gaily if not attentively put, answering her original
protests.
This attitude toward his own daughter made him see
clearly how Butler might feel toward Aileen. The old
Irishman had probably had just such sympathetic ex-
periences with his children as Cowperwood was having
with his. He wondered how he would feel if it were his
own little Lillian, and still he did not believe he would
make much fuss over the matter, either with himself or
with her, if she were as old as Aileen. Children and their
lives were more or less above the willing of parents, any-
how, and it would be a difficult thing for any parent to
control any child, unless the child were naturally docile-
minded and willing to be controlled. As he drove away
from Butler's office he had no absolute knowledge as to
why the latter had been so enraged, but he felt certain
that Aileen was the reason. At any rate, he must take
considerable thought of this added complication. In-
stead of a friend in Butler, he now had an enemy to fight,
and Butler was very powerful. It almost made him smile,
in a grim way, to see how fate was raining difficulties on
him. He was distressed, too, about Aileen—what she
would say and do if she were confronted by her father.
If he could only get to see her! But if he met Butler's call
for his loan, and the others which would come yet to-
day or on the morrow, there was not a moment to lose.
If he did not pay he must assign at once. Many person-
alities had occurred to him even as he stood before But-
ler, to whom he might or must appeal. You would sup-
pose that all of his thoughts would have been concerned
with Butler's rage, Aileen, his own danger. Not so.
He was thinking of these things quickly, incidentally;
but his mind never wavered from the main point, which
was to save himself financially. With wealth one can
do almost anything to protect oneself. Without it—
well, that is another story. Wealth, the position, and
force which means give, was to him as his right arm. He
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